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“Well hello 2016, when did you get here?”

So, having made it through another holiday season, we’re all ready to take on the new year with fresh challenges and heightened goals…especially concerning a smart data analytics strategy, right? Well, take a deep breath, and follow the keen advice that Sana Narani lays out in his article, 5 Major Data Analytics Missteps and How to Avoid Them. There’s great counsel in it all-around; and, not coincidentally, strong support for the objectives we set for our own software—in particular, Olation.

Take Narami’s first point, that One-Size Data Does Not Fit All. It’s a simple concept that is looked past quite frequently: different roles mean different data requirements from traditional business intelligence (small caps intended) solutions. Indeed, data-driven decisions are being made by everyone, from traditional analysts and report writers, from the shop floor to the C-level suite. And, typically, what is most important for the topmost decision makers is how to lead the company forward: so a “data analytics” strategy should be expansive enough to provide planning and corporate performance management capabilities.

The first misstep almost always leads to the second, the proliferation of Incompatible Tools. Narami notes that data-savvy individuals will want far more hands on than will information consumers looking for visual data discovery (aka dashboard) capabilities. But there are also analysts who pitch data out into a place (almost always, Excel) to test complex calculations; or top-level staff working collaboratively who need to “write back” into regularly changing forecast applications. “Self-service” capabilities need to be available to these users as well, just as they are to folks who want to drill down on transactions or create impactful charts and graphs.

The remaining 3 to-avoid missteps—Inadequate Data Governance, Unclear Roles and Responsibilities, and Lack of Training—all make a strong case about being a smart consumer and strategist in a market chock-a-block with almost-always-incompatible choices and frustrating tradeoffs. It’s very, very interesting, too, for how it raises awareness not only of what to avoid, but also what we provide in our solution offerings

Click here to read entire article.

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